U.S. Navy Ships Close to Getting Interceptors That Could Stop an ICBM
Anthony Capaccio | Bloomberg
The Pentagon’s No. 2 official has ordered 11 missile interceptors transferred from research and development for possible deployment on Navy ships in the Pacific or European regions after a test in November indicated they could stop an intercontinental ballistic missile. In the test, the USS John Finn intercepted a mock ICBM intended to simulate one that could be launched at Hawaii by North Korea. The destroyer, operating near Hawaii, fired off one of the Standard Missile-3 model Block IIA interceptors built by Raytheon Technologies Corp. at the target launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Diplomats: Progress Made in Vienna at Iran Nuclear Talks
Philipp Jenne and Kirsten Grieshaber | Associated Press
Top diplomats said Sunday that further progress had been made at talks between Iran and global powers to try to restore a landmark 2015 agreement to contain Iranian nuclear development that was abandoned by the Trump administration. They said it was now up to the governments involved in the negotiations to make political decisions. It was the first official meeting since Iran’s hard-line judiciary chief won a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election last week.
Pentagon Tracked Failed Iranian Satellite Launch and New Images Reveal Tehran is Set to Try Again
Zachary Cohen and Oren Liebermann | CNN
The Pentagon was watching as Iran attempted, and failed, to launch yet another satellite into orbit earlier this month, multiple defense officials tell CNN. But while that previous effort, which took place in mid-June, was unsuccessful, Iran appears to be preparing for another attempt in the near future, as satellite imagery captured by commercial firms Planet and Maxar shows increased activity at Imam Khomeini Spaceport in recent days, according to experts at the Middlebury Institute of International Affairs at Monterey who analyzed the photos.
Russia Views Moratorium on Short- and Medium-Range Missiles as Priority — Senior Diplomat
TASS
Russia views the issue of control over short-and medium-range missiles as one of its priorities and suggests imposing a moratorium on their deployment, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the virtual Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference on Tuesday. “We are convinced that the issue of land-based intermediate and shorter-range missiles, whether nuclear or conventional, requires priority attention. Russia has proposed an initiative aimed at maintenance of predictability and restraint in this area, including through reciprocal verification and confidence-building measures,” the Russian diplomat said.
North Korea to Washington: Timetable on Talks is Up to Us, Not You
Choe Sang-Hun | New York Times
North Korea said on Tuesday that the United States would face a great “disappointment” if it expected a quick resumption of talks about its nuclear weapons program, offering a blow to a Biden administration envoy who had proposed a new round of negotiations. The American special envoy to North Korea, Sung Kim, called this week for a meeting “anywhere, anytime without preconditions” during his first trip to the Korean Peninsula since being appointed by President Biden.
Air Force Says Hypersonic Missile Tests Could Kill Four Snails and 90 Clams
Brett Tingley | The Drive
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has determined that future tests of the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon hypersonic boost-glide vehicle, or ARRW, could result in the deaths of four Top Shell snails and up to 90 clams at Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific. Steve Trimble, Aviation Week’s Defense Editor and good friend of The War Zone, was among the first to spot these details about the potential impact to wildlife at the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, a U.S. Army-managed test range in and around Kwajalein, which is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. This information can be found in recently-released Environmental Assessment documents related to USAF tests of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that were published by the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base.